Time Bound II: Mending
by Gentle Hobbit
Summary: COMPLETE - Both Rose and Ten face their own challenges during the bonding ceremony, and Rose must draw on strengths she didn't know she had to join with a Time Lord.
1. How To Plead

**Author's Notes:** Time Bound is a two-part story. The first part was _Time Bound, Part I: Fracturing_. Now, these last 5 chapters form _Time Bound, Part II: Mending_

The entire story is a sequel to both _The Trial of Ten_ and _Time Sense_. While there are a few references to those stories, it isn't necessary to read them to understand this new one. The main thing to understand is that Ten has been exiled to Earth by the Shadow Proclamation (_Trial of Ten_). He and Rose work as freelancers for UNIT and are posted to various places around the U.K. in order to solve mysteries. One such location was Lindisfarne (_Time Sense_). The NATS are time creatures that made their first appearance at Lindisfarne.

In the first part of _Time Bound_ (Fracturing),Ten, Rose, River and Eleven stopped the Sycorax from doing something nasty to a planet. However, Ten broke his parole conditions. The action part is over, but the clean up of both Ten's imprisonment and his relationship with Rose is dealt with in this second part.

_Disclaimer: _This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 1**: _How to Plead_

Rose followed River, stumbling slightly, down several corridors in the Tardis. The fractures on the planet Virrukoi were gone, the Judoon had subdued the Sycorax and the Allack, and Eleven was making repairs in the Console Room. The crisis had ended the best way possible for the Virrukoian inhabitants: they were safe and, although their planet was in ruins, at least it was in one piece. They could rebuild.

It could have been so much worse. And yet she couldn't give them any more of her attention. Now, all she could think of was Ten. The Judoon were taking him in chains back to the Shadow Proclamation and back to the Shadow Architect who hated him and had unilateral power over his fate.

The last time Rose had talked with him-really talked-they had argued under the console platform. A sick feeling twisted in her stomach. After the argument, she had seen him look at her several times, clearly unhappy. And yet she refused to look at him.

Only one small stray thought escaped. She didn't like the corridors of the new Tardis. They were so barren and mechanical, and austerely shaped in their stark triangles and hexagons. She hadn't really had a chance to do much exploring since she and Ten had returned from Pete's world, but the corridors hadn't invited exploration in contrast to the opulent and wacky console room. The coral interior of the Tardis had been so much more inviting and welcoming, with its warmer hues and organic branches and tendrils. When she and the Doctor had their adventures-when she and Ten and Eleven... Ten...

The stray thought evaporated instantly. Ten was a prisoner. Twelve more hours before they could rescue him. 'Where are we going?' she asked. Her feet felt like lead. It seemed as if they had walked enough to pass all the familiar rooms.

River smiled. 'A spot I thought you might like.' She rounded a corner and then glanced back at Rose.

Rose followed her around the corner and gasped. This new branch of the corridor began much like the triangular hexagonal passageways behind her with the same cool, metallic colours and roundels, but soon it morphed into warmer colours-rich burnt oranges and browns. Smooth, clinical, geometric details changed into rough coral ribbing that curved up and down the hallways and spiralled overhead. Underfoot, flat flooring raised itself into grating that now rested on the under-curve of the rounded, tube-like corridor.

'This... this is the old Tardis,' Rose whispered. She touched the wall nearest her, and she felt the roughness of the porous coral under her fingertips. She stroked it gently.

'She doesn't change everything when she regenerates,' said River softly. 'The further you go out from the centre, the older the design. There's a lot of this, actually.' She walked further down the corridor, scanning right and left. 'Here it is.' She stepped to one side and disappeared.

Rose frowned and followed her to the spot. River had stepped into a nook that was perhaps three feet deep and six feet wide. She now sat in a half-seat, half-hammock that partially protruded from one side and partially rested, suspended, on coral strands. Another such seat nestled in the other half of the nook. Rose cautiously sat down and immediately found herself nestled amongst coral. She leaned her head back and it rested against more coral that seemed as if it moulded exactly to the back of her head. She sighed. Her muscles felt as if they were relaxing into puddles. She felt as if she never wanted to move again.

'She does that, you know,' said River. 'She knows you, I can tell. She remembers.'

Rose smiled wistfully. 'I know. Feels like coming home.'

River answered her smile with one of her own, equally wistful. 'I only know the "new" Tardis, as you call her. But I like exploring further out, seeing the differences, each layer back. It's one way of looking into the Doctor's past-maybe my future. The very oldest areas are so clean, sterile. The younger he gets, the Tardis gets, the less personality she has.'

'I never explored all of her,' murmured Rose. 'We were always running. There was never time, but I thought... I thought there'd be loads.'

River reached forward and patted Rose on the knee. 'That's always the way with him-them. Isn't it? But, you know, I have a confession.'

Rose tilted her head. 'What?'

'I have to admit that I've always been a wee bit insecure about you.'

Rose froze. When her heart felt like it was beating normally again, she leaned forward. 'Ab-about me?' she stuttered. Calm, confident River, insecure about her?

At Rose's startled reaction, River hastily added, 'And you may not tell either one of them! But I know-I just know-that you were his first love after the Time War. The impression I get is that you helped him heal. And three incarnations of him have loved you! Still love you. That's a pretty tough act to follow.'

Rose swallowed. River watched her calmly, and there didn't seem to be any antagonism in her gaze. In fact, her expression was open and frank. And she was smiling, if a bit ruefully.

'I... I... um, okay,' Rose managed at last. 'Really?'

River nodded. 'Really. So, I don't try. To follow, that is. I meet him on my own terms. And he seems quite happy to do that. Eleven, that is.'

'Well, you're Time Lord, yeah?' Rose responded. 'You're like a time-traveller action hero. You know the Tardis. He loves that. Ten too. But...' Her voice trailed off.

'But you're not,' River finished softly. 'You don't do yourself enough credit, Rose. Ten loves you because you're human, and you're a human who can meet him halfway. You give him the best of what humanity has to offer, but you have that adventurous spirit he craves. And compassion. Compassion for him, for the people on Virrukoi, for anyone who needs help. I know. Believe me, being in communication with the Tardis, I can find out a lot of things. And she has her own opinions too.' River leaned back in her chair. 'So there we are. Two women talking about our insecurities concerning the men we love. I don't think we can be any more clichéd. Sad, that.'

Rose laughed then and grinned. She could feel her sudden adrenaline ebbing away. 'Yeah. Really sad.'

River briskly rubbed her hands together. 'Right then. Cliché or not, we still have some stuff to talk about, you and I. About Time Lords and their attitudes towards... things.'

Rose stiffened. 'We've already had the sex talk.'

'Yes,' said River, waving that aside. 'You and I already know more about the birds and the bees than our two poor Doctors will ever really understand. It's the training of them that's the problem. How to get Ten started.'

Rose grunted. 'Tie him down? That's the only way I can think of to stop him running off.'

River threw her head back in peals of laughter. 'No, no,' she finally gasped. 'Let the poor chap get his feet wet before you start any of that stuff.'

Rose glared at her. 'I was only joking.'

River smirked. 'I wasn't.'

Rose gaped. 'Really?' she managed, once she could muster speech. 'You and... and Eleven?'

River shrugged elegantly but with a rather smug smile.

Rose blinked, but after a moment, her shoulders sagged. 'Why're we talking about this. They might jail him, or even execute him.'

'Ten?' It wasn't really a question.

At Rose's nod, River tilted her head to one side. 'I doubt they'd execute him. Jail him? Possibly, but he has a good case for his defence. He solved the situation on Virrukoi and alerted the Judoon to the Sycorax the only way he could. They only arrived just in time. We all would have been dead minutes later.'

'Yeah.' Rose picked at a fingernail.

'Don't worry. The Doctor, whichever version, gets out of all sorts of scrapes.'

'Not with the Shadow Proclamation,' Rose reminded her. 'That's why the chip's in his neck.'

'He did exactly what they wanted,' said River softly. 'Don't worry about him. Until we reach the Proclamation, we need down time. Besides, knowing Ten-he is the Doctor, after all-he's probably talking up a storm and completely confounding his captors.'

Rose giggled at this. 'True.' As she laughed, the tight knot of tension in her stomach began to uncoil a little.

'Rose, have you ever thought of getting married?'

The laughter died and Rose reared back her head. 'Nothing holds you back, does it.'

'Not usually, no. But, seriously...'

'River-'

'Hear me out. The Doctor...s... They've been running so long, they've lost so much-I'm not surprised it hasn't even occurred to yours, Ten, to even consider it. But it doesn't mean that he wouldn't want it.'

'If he'd wanted it, he'd've said something,' muttered Rose. 'It's been a year.'

'Which is a blink of an eye to him,' said River firmly. 'Besides, he may feel he doesn't deserve it.'

'Why not?'

River actually looked uncomfortable. 'Time War, things he had to do. It's not really for me to say. But, really, Rose... You're going to be the one who has to initiate stuff. If you truly want it. That kind of thing won't occur to him. Even though he adores you. He does. I can see it. The way he looks at you? He'd never admit it, I'm sure, but it's there.'

Rose slammed down her hands against the coral at her sides. 'Then why won't he even tell me his name? I didn't even know he had a name other than "The Doctor". He told you. Why didn't he tell me?'

'Because he can only tell the person he marries.'

Rose slumped in her seat. 'Yeah. Right. And he's already married you. So I don't get a look in.'

'_Eleven_ has already married me. Not Ten. He learned of Eleven's future before he became his own person. At least, I'm making the assumption that that's what happened.'

'Right. Yeah.' Rose felt her cheeks burning. 'Sorry. I'm making a mess of everything. I wish it didn't matter so much. It's just a name.'

'It's a lot,' said River firmly and she leaned forward and took Rose's hands. 'A name represents you. It is a part of your identity. He is hiding his identity from you and you're picking up on that. He doesn't mean to... well, he does, actually, but, you see, it's such a way of life-such an imperative-for him that he doesn't even think about it anymore. But it's a way-'

'It's a way to keep me out,' finished Rose. 'I don't know who he really is.'

'And no-one ever will, except for himself. Themselves. Which is why I think you two should get married. You're simply stuck in a holding pattern. He will be forced to slow down and see you as the partner you already are. He will let you in more, then. Not as much as you might want, perhaps, but more. Besides, he's already a lot more responsive than Eleven. I can see it. Becoming partly human has done him good.' River cocked her head and smiled wistfully. 'I rather envy you two. There's a closeness... Yes. You definitely should get married. Would you like to?'

Rose nodded, and she could feel a goofy smile spread over her face. 'Yeah,' she said. 'I never really needed it before. And I didn't want him to feel trapped. But it's different now. It feels different. I don't need the white dress and all that, but I want to be with him. More. Closer. Like you and Eleven.'

'Right. I'll go talk to Eleven and we'll get it sorted. Ten'll come round. As soon as you say something, he'll come round.'

'Just like that?' Rose bit her lip.

'Just like that.' River stood and, still holding Rose's hands, pulled her to her feet. 'Go have a kip. You're tired out and you'll want to be refreshed before we reach the Proclamation.'

As if on cue, Rose yawned. 'Why aren't you tired.'

'Time Lord,' River answered. 'Some advantages to the physiology. Only one heart, though. So, a bit hybrid. A bit like Ten.' She chivvied Rose down the corridor. 'Off you go. It's five in the morning for you, after also saving a planet.'

Rose stumbled along, allowing River to guide her to her own bedroom. It also was further out from the console room than she remembered, and they didn't leave the coral layer of the Tardis, but now that sleep was beginning to overtake her, she didn't question it. And River's rubbing her hand comfortingly between Rose's shoulder blades further lulled her. Once she flopped onto her bed and her head hit the pillow, she was gone.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

She woke nine hours later. At first, she opened her eyes and found herself looking at an old, familiar ceiling. Coral tendrils traced an intricate pattern overhead, and the rich burnt oranges, browns, greens and golds blended and shimmered. The bed was that peculiar but blissful blend of hard and soft under her and the duvet, the one nod to her own culture, was puffy, mounded, soft and warm all around her.

The last time she was on the Tardis, she was given a room next to Ten, and it was of the new Tardis design. However, the room she was in now had been her own room she used for the two years she travelled with the Doctor. Lying here in the bed and seeing the coral gave her a sense of coming home. She stretched blissfully, but as her body became more attuned to the waking world, so did her mind. All the events of the previous day came rushing back and she sat bolt upright.

Hastily scrambling to her feet, she stuffed her feet into her trainers. For one brief moment, she frowned, unable to remember taking them off the night before. She obviously hadn't undressed, though. But the next instant, those thoughts were gone. Almost by instinct, even though the corridors were further than she remembered, she made her way quickly to the console room.

As she scrambled down the suspended staircase that joined the console platform, Eleven came in from the outside and pulled the wooden door to behind him.

'Good morning, sleepy-head,' he called out to her cheerfully. 'Fancy a trip to the Shadow Proclamation?'

'Yes!' Rose jumped the last two steps and landed on the platform. 'We aren't there, then?'

'Nah,' responded Eleven. He began his familiar dance around the console, yanking on bell pulls and levers. 'Just had to make a stop on the way. One or two. Or three.'

River emerged from below the platform. 'Good sleep?' She held a sonic screwdriver in her hand. It looked different from the Doctor's. Different but similar. Rose didn't dwell on it, though.

'Yeah,' she answered. 'Thanks.'

The Tardis shuddered and jolted. She grabbed the railing out of old habit, but as soon as the shaking stopped, she bolted across the console platform. Spying the odd device Ten had stolen from the Sycorax, she grabbed it from its spot on the jumpseat. She glanced up and saw Eleven looking at her. He smiled and nodded. She nodded back, cradled the device in her arm and then ran down the steps to the doors.

'Coming?' she asked, looking back at him.

'Er, sorry. Can't,' he answered, still fiddling with the controls. 'You and River go.'

'But he needs you! We need all the help we can get to free him.'

'Rose, Rose, Rose.' Eleven shook his head and smiled wistfully. 'You don't need me. Not any more. You haven't for a long time, really. But Ten needs you. Go and save him, already!' He grinned then. 'Already. Earth vernacular! Love that. Do something already. Very timey-wimey.'

'Come on,' said River, coming up from behind and linking her arm with Rose's. 'We'll do it together. Eleven's "dead", remember? He can't go out there.'

Rose nodded. 'Right. Forgot.' She took a deep breath and opened the doors.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The hearing chamber was quite different from the vast, dark courtroom of Ten's trial. This was much smaller, white and with only a few curving rows of elevated chairs spanning across three corners of the room. A small, slightly elevated dais stood in the fourth corner with its own entrance.

Rose, River and their attendant descended the flight of steps that ran down the middle of the seating area. Rose went straight to the front and the other two followed her. She sat down in the chair closest to the centre. The chair moulded to her as the ones had done in the trial chamber a year ago. She squirmed. But no sooner than she sat down, the frame of the doorway at the back of the dais glowed slightly and the Shadow Architect emerged.

Rose's hands clenched. Memories of the bluish electricity and Ten arching in pain came to her, and she wanted to wipe the smug arrogance from the Architect's face.

Behind him came Ten, flanked by two Judoon. His hands were still shackled together, though in front of him now. He looked tired but quite alert, looking around him curiously. When he caught sight of Rose, a big grin spread across his face and his eyes shone. Rose's hands relaxed and she answered his grin with one of her own.

And behind Ten came a familiar figure.

'The Woman,' breathed Rose. She sensed River looking at her quizzically. 'Ten has a chance with her around,' she whispered.

A bell was struck, somewhere out of sight, and it welled up and died away quickly.

'The Hearing has commenced,' said the Architect. 'The Doctor, known as "Ten", you have broken the conditions of your trip. You were warned of the consequences and yet you still flouted the generous permissions afforded you. You deliberately and knowingly transported off the planet Virrukoi and travelled seven hours back in time to the planet Zog. Depending on the outcome of this hearing, sanctions may range from corporal punishment to imprisonment or death. How do you plead?'

'Guilty,' said Ten promptly.

'Oh no,' whispered Rose. She felt her stomach sink. She twisted her hands together.

The Architect blinked. 'You do not even try to protest your innocence.'

Ten shrugged. 'No point. I did what you said I did. Very thorough, your description. Always knew the Proclamation was a stickler for detail.'

'Do you have any reason why you should not be put to death immediately for breaking your parole?'

Ten shuffled his feet. 'We-e-ell, I did want to alert these fine fellows here-' and he gestured with his head to the Judoon '-that the Sycorax were responsible for the time fractures on Virrukoi and that they were invading. Problem was, the fractures scrambled any signal reaching out into space. The only way was to do what I did. I knew that nothing would get as prompt a response as dancing around in front of these chaps.'

The Architect turned to the Judoon. 'Were the conditions on the planet as he described?'

The Judoon to Ten's left barked an affirmative. 'Po, Ro!'

The Woman spoke for the first time. 'And if he had waited any longer for conditions to improve for sending signals without breaking parole, would there have been advantage?'

The Judoon ponderously shook its massive head.

'Any disadvantage?'

The Judoon nodded.

'What would have been the disadvantage?'

'Invasion of planet. Increase in casualties.'

The Woman faced the Architect. 'A compelling reason for the Doctor known as Ten to break the conditions of his parole.'

The Architect scowled. 'That may be. However, I want to know why the Doctor known as Ten decided that the Sycorax were responsible for the time fractures rather than a naturally occurring phenomenon.'

'Naturally occurring?' whispered River in disbelief. Rose leaned forward.

'And why,' continued the Architect, 'he chose to flout the conditions of his parole for something that, while regrettable, would have been a natural development of the planet. The Sycorax "invasion" would have been incidental to the already determined end of a planet and its civilization.'

'What?' Rose fell back against her chair. 'Is he mad?'

'No,' muttered River. 'He has to question everything. But he hates Ten. That's obvious.'

The Woman turned to Ten. 'On what basis did you decide that the Sycorax were responsible for the time fractures?'

'Ooh!' Ten bounced on his feet. 'I'm glad you asked that. Really glad. See, when I reached the epicentre of the time distortions, I found an awfully interesting thing. All glowy and humming. Very pretty with little lights on it. All nicely wired into some local machinery and guarded very carefully by Sycorax. But it was nothing that the Virrukoi could have possibly made on their own. A far cry from anything they've developed up to now. Besides,' and he shrugged, 'I've seen Sycoraxic technology before and this puppy fit right in.'

'And where is this... er... "puppy" right now?' asked the Woman.

Rose bounced up out of her chair and she raised her hand high as if in school. 'Oh, oh! Right here!' She brought the device out with her other hand. Its rounded shape nestled comfortably in her hand, although the irregularly placed wires spilled out and hung over her fingers. She held it up high.

'Ah,' said the Woman, and she walked to the end of the dais and paused for a moment. There was a brief shimmer in the air for a moment, and then the air cleared. Rose realized that there had been a force field in place between the dais and the audience area. The Woman walked through and stopped in front of Rose. 'May I have the evidence, please?'

Rose placed the device carefully in the Woman's held-out hands.

'Thank you,' said the Woman and she swiftly re-entered the secure area. As the force-field shimmered back into place, she stood before Ten. 'Is this the device that you claim was planted by the Sycorax on the planet Virrukoi?'

Ten nodded. 'That's it. It would have completely broken up the planet and made it easy for anyone to mine the chunks for Boolium. The planet's full of it.'

The Woman held the device in front of the Architect. 'Here is the evidence presented by the defendant.'

The Architect pursed his lips. He turned to the Judoon. 'You have long experience with the Sycorax. Do you recognize this device as being in keeping with their technology?'

The Judoon rumbled its affirmative. 'Po, ro!'

'And the Virrukoi-would they be able to create this on their own?'

The Judoon immediately shook its head. 'Cho, fo!'

'I see,' said the Woman and she turned to the Architect. 'This seems to be straightforward evidence that the time fractures were not only an unnatural phenomenon, but a clear result of Sycoraxic intention to profiteer.' Before the Architect could respond, she looked back at the Judoon. 'I received a report from the Judoon platoon that intercepted the Allack in the city to the north of the standoff. I understand that the Allack told the inhabitants that they would be "reasonably expected" to pay off all debts for aid from the Allack by helping to mine for Boolium once the emergency had passed.'

Rose gasped, and she saw Ten's eyes widen. Clearly he was as surprised as she was.

'Mining the chunks of their own disintegrated planet?' he ground out. 'And no doubt left to die once the air supply ran out? Ohhh... That's... that's a new low for the Sycorax. And that's saying something. A big something. A very big something.'

The Architect frowned and placed the device in the Judoon's hands. He turned to face Ten. Rose held her breath.

'It seems that your actions have been backed up by the evidence presented and the testimony from the Judoon. I therefore rule that while you are guilty of breaking the conditions of your parole, you have been shown to have had due cause. You will be allowed to return to the planet of your confinement: Earth.'

Rose breathed out.

The Shadow Architect made a complicated gesture seemingly to the air, and almost immediately, a blue-haired humanoid emerged from the back. Rose recognized the being from the beginning of Ten's trip. She tensed again.

However, this time, the procedure was quick and painless. Ten simply knelt and, under the watchful gaze of the Woman, the humanoid touched the chip gun to Ten's neck and pressed a button. With a quiet beep, the information was entered and Ten's parole finished. Immediately following the beep, Ten's shackles unfastened and fell to the floor.

'Ahhh,' murmured Ten happily.

Without a further word, the Shadow Architect disappeared into the back, followed by the blue-haired humanoid and the Judoon. The force-field shimmered and went down, and Ten and the Woman walked off the dais and up to Rose and River. Rose launched herself at Ten and he met her immediately, wrapping his arms around her. They stood silently together for a moment and Rose revelled in his warmth and his heartbeat under her ear. She clung tighter and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

'Thank you,' said the Woman to Ten, and he and Rose reluctantly let go. Their hands remained clasped though. 'Thank you for saving the planet Virrukoi. The Sycorax have long menaced weaker species and I am very glad that you put a stop to this particularly nasty attempt.'

Ten beamed. 'Any time. I'm hip hop happy to help.' As an aside, he added, 'Alliteration. Oh, yes!' But when he had finished his comment, he became serious. 'The planet Virrukoi needs help. I know that in between the Proclamation's wonderfully zealous pursuits of justice and all that, you lot also protect the rights of planets... if they have been classified, that is. But this planet hasn't. Not that the Sycorax would care...much, but it would put off loads of other profiteers looking for boolium. Besides, if they knew they had protection, I doubt the Virrukoi would try to speed up their progress in technology by using a time accelerator. They just wanted to be able to fight off invaders themselves since they never saw help coming.'

'So that's why they were trying to speed up their planet,' whispered Rose. She saw River nodding slowly out of the corner of her eye.

The Woman smiled fondly as if in response to an exuberant child. 'I don't think there will be any problem with that. Assignment of protected status had been postponed due to other priorities elsewhere in the galaxy, but after this crisis, I think it will be moved to the head of the list.' She turned to River and Rose. 'I understand that you all worked together as a team. If so, then I thank you too.'

'You're welcome,' chorused both Rose and River. 'Though,' continued Rose, 'you could do us a favour.'

'What is that?' the Woman enquired.

'That Shadow Architect fellow liked hurting the Doctor. Just now, he didn't and I think because you were there. Can you be there if the Doctor has parole again?'

The Woman nodded slowly. 'I can try. However, it is the Shadow Architect's prerogative to decide in what manner the information is to be entered. As a convicted criminal of the highest crime, the Doctor is subject to any temporary sanction the Architect may choose to assign without review.'

Rose scowled. 'Still, I think you stopped him.'

'Perhaps. However, I cannot guarantee my attendance at any given time. Nevertheless, I shall endeavour to attend any visit by the Doctor, if I am made aware of it. Will that do?'

Rose nodded. 'It'll help. A lot. Cheers.'

'And so,' said the Woman, looking at each one of them in turn, 'I will bid you farewell.'

'Goodbye,' they all chorused, and Rose turned and pulled Ten with her out of the room and to the Tardis. He promptly and happily followed her.

_To be continued_


	2. Secret Time Lord Society

_Chapter 2 Summary_: Eleven and River's intervention may not be enough to solve Rose and Ten's problems. It actually comes down to Ten to suggest a more radical solution.

_Disclaimer: _This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 2**: _Secret Time Lord Society_

And that was it. They were all back in the Tardis, standing around the console, and there was nothing left but to return to Earth-to return Ten to his "prison." Rose sighed ruefully. As if nothing had ever happened.

'Well!' exclaimed Eleven. 'It seems we all have an event to attend on Earth.'

'Sorry?' Ten straightened from fine-tuning some wiring under the console.

River grinned and joined Eleven. 'Yes. Everything's in place. It just depends on you two.' Her gaze included Rose and Ten.

'What's that, then?' Ten stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the console. He looked rapidly from River to Rose, to Eleven and back to River again.

'What? You mean...' It was Rose's turn to look back and forth between Eleven and River. 'You mean... me and Ten? You really mean...' and here she stared at River. 'What we talked about?

'Yes,' said River, with an expression somewhere between smug and excited. 'You slept a long time. Eleven and I had plenty of time to get things ready.'

'Oh, my god,' whispered Rose. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. 'You're kidding me. Already?'

'Ready? Already?' Ten stared at Rose. 'For what?'

She went to his side and took his hand. 'River knows I want to know your name. I think she's making sure I know it.'

Ten frowned. 'But that would mean... I mean, we'd have to...'

Rose faltered. Her mouth went dry, and she tried to swallow. 'Er, yeah. Is that a problem?'

Ten's expression cleared. 'No!' he said hastily. 'Not at all! But... now? You want this? I thought you never wanted to get married.'

'When did I say that?'

'Well, you hadn't, really. But... under the console platform. Just before we landed on Virrukoi. You said it was lucky that neither of us wanted to-'

Rose blinked. 'Oh.' Then she punched him in the arm.

'Ow!'

'I was angry,' she told him. 'Couldn't you tell?'

'Well, actually-'

'I kept finding out more secrets about you. Secrets everyone else here knew, 'cept me. About your real name, the NATS' real name...'

Ten grabbed her by her upper arms, but his clasp was gentle, even though his expression was earnest. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I... I thought maybe you felt left out. But...'

'It's not just the names,' said Rose. She crossed her arms and Ten let go, clearly reluctantly. 'I know you've gotta keep your secrets. Things you did in the past. Awful things. I get it. 900 years' worth. I get that. But I don't want to keep finding out more and more things that... that...leave me out.'

'Out of... of...' Eleven floundered.

'The Secret Time Lord Society,' muttered Rose.

Ten stared at his feet and shuffled just a bit.

River put her hands on her hips. 'That's fair. At least I have the Tardis on my side. She'll tell me things that you,' and here she stared at Eleven, 'forget. But Rose?' She turned to Ten. 'You're all she has. You need to remember that.'

Ten nodded slowly.

Eleven clapped his hands and rubbed them together briskly. The others jumped. 'Right then!' he exclaimed. 'You two ladies put together a list of what you want to know, and then we can tell you. Easy. Done. Take a while, but then we can put this behind us and get these two here married.'

'No,' said Rose.

'No?' asked Eleven.

'No,' she repeated. 'No lists. No "putting this behind us." Not "do it and ignore it after".'

'Absolutely not,' said River.

Eleven threw his arms up in the air. 'Then what?'

River made an impatient, harrumphing sound.

'Sharing,' said Rose.

'Always,' added River. 'Way of life. This fellow here,' and she waggled her finger at Eleven, 'is a lost cause. But you,' and this time she jabbed her finger in Ten's direction, 'are part human now. Living a human's life with a human. You're still a Time Lord, but you're more than that. From the sound of it, you've made a good beginning. But there's more. A lot more. You can't leave it up to Rose to try to guess what things she needs to know. You have a millennia of secrets. You could be dropping bombshells-ones that could change your relationship-until the day you die.'

Ten nodded slowly. 'Yeah,' he said. 'I could.'

Eleven fidgeted. 'What do you want to do, then? Delay the wedding?'

'No,' whispered Rose. 'I want to marry him. Now. But I want... I want us to be partners. Real partners. Not just "Ooh, here's another adventure" partners.'

'He can't just tell you ev-' began Eleven.

'Bondmates,' said Ten in a soft voice.

Eleven froze for a moment and then spun to face Ten. 'What?'

Ten took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. 'Bondmates. Sharing. Always.'

Eleven gulped.

River and Rose looked back and forth between the two.

'That's... that's...' Eleven rubbed a fist with the palm of his other hand. Then he waggled his finger at Ten. 'That's a lot,' he ended lamely.

Ten shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. 'I know. But... it's fair. If... if she wants it.'

Eleven shook his head. 'It's a lot for her too.'

'She can handle it,' said Ten stubbornly. 'She's strong, Rose is.'

'Wait,' interrupted Rose. 'What is it?'

'Bonding?' Eleven ran his hand through his hair. 'A Gallifreyan tradition.'

'Oooh,' said River. 'I like it already! Tell us more.'

Ten came forward then and, cupping Rose's shoulders with his hands, he walked her backwards until the backs of her knees bumped against the edge of the jumpseat. He gently pushed her down and she sat. He backed up then until he fetched up against the edge of the console.

'You too,' said Eleven and he offered his arm to River much as if he were about to escort her onto a dance floor.

'Why, this is going to be some tale,' purred River as she laid her hand on his forearm. He led her to the other seat and she sat, crossing one leg over the other. She leaned back in the seat.

'Not a tale.' Eleven joined Ten at the console and faced the women. 'A history lesson. See, you need to know about Pythia and Rassilon.'

'Bondmates?' guessed Rose.

Ten choked, almost doubling up and he started to laugh helplessly.

Eleven grinned. 'No. Though... that would have... er... helped.'

Ten wiped tears from his eyes. 'Or been the worst, absolute worst marriage in the history of Gallifrey.'

'Pythia was the last of a line of mystical, matriarchal leaders,' intoned Eleven solemnly, as if he were addressing a class. 'Gallifrey was full of superstition at that time. Rassilon was a part of a movement towards reason and science. They were enemies.'

Having recovered from his merriment, Ten straightened and continued. 'Pythia was a powerful seer. She could see timelines better than anyone, and she foresaw Gallifrey becoming a stagnant, rigid society under Rassilon with no imagination or creativity, and that her time, Gallifrey's time, of spiritualism and mysticism would end. So, she wrote a challenge.'

Eleven nodded. 'She wrote that the only way for Gallifrey to truly evolve was to blend the two ways together. Yin and Yang. Balance. Different but equal. On the political level, the philosophical, and the personal. With women and with men. With Gallifreyans and with Time Lords.'

'The internal and the external. A dual system of partnership in life on every level.' Ten leaned against the console and crossed his long legs. 'And this is where this bonding comes in, Rose.'

'Sounds good so far,' said Rose, 'but I don't under-'

'System of partnership,' interrupted Eleven. 'But started by a bonding ceremony at marriage.'

'Mental bonding,' clarified Ten. 'A joining of minds. Well, sort of.'

'It's not just mental,' said Eleven. 'It's a two-part joining. Yin and Yang. The external is the physical-um, ahh, dancing. The male would be the dominant here.' He coughed. 'I don't think I need to explain why.'

'Oh, I don't know...' began River with a steely glint in her eye.

'For the purposes of the ritual,' said Eleven hastily. 'He has to, er, well, you know, ... well, she has to accept him in. But then the female would've already had her turn. The mental bonding. She would be the one to enter, and the male to accept.'

Rose leaned forward, hands clasped together. 'All telepathic-like?'

'When she is in his mind, yes,' answered Eleven.

'But after that,' continued Ten, 'there'd be a sense... an _awareness_ of each other. Forever. Until one of them dies.'

'Though, with the Matrix-' murmured Eleven.

'But not any more,' reminded Ten. 'That would be it.'

'You mean, we could talk to each other in our minds? Any time?' asked Rose, her eyes shining.

Ten shook his head. 'No. Gallifreyans are touch telepaths only. We'd still have to touch. But the rest of the time, the awareness-just an awareness, nothing more-would still be there.' He tilted his head. 'I always liked that. Just knowing you're not alone...'

Eleven took a deep breath and let it out. 'Yeah,' he muttered.

River shook her head gently. She leaned forward. 'I'm here. You just have to choose to know that.'

Eleven averted his gaze but nodded.

River leaned back. 'All right. Tell us then. Did anyone take up the challenge?'

'A few,' said Ten. 'But Rassilon ignored it. And then Pythia lost her time sense, her ability to foresee, and she went mad, or some said she did. Rassilon overthrew her in a revolution. In despair and rage, she cursed Gallifrey with sterility and then committed suicide by throwing herself into a chasm by her temple.'

'Wow,' said Rose. 'Did people actually become sterile? Was the curse real? Could she do magic?'

Ten furrowed his brow. 'Magic? Some people thought so, but theories since said different things: that she only described something she had earlier foreseen, or that it was mass hysteria among the population brought on by the radical change in society, guilt about following Rassilon, and self-fulfilling superstition itself. She was the leader of the planet, after all. That shook them. Or it could have been environmental-something never identified.'

'So, they did become sterile,' pressed Rose.

'Not completely,' said Eleven. 'But many, yes, so much so that the population was in danger of ending. The challenge and the ritual became very popular, despite Rassilon's scorn. People began to realize what was happening, even as they embraced Rassilon's new order. They sensed that they were losing touch with the spiritual, the richer, cultural part of the society. So, a new grassroots movement began from the challenge and quickly became widespread. But, like Pythia foresaw, the ceremony itself eventually became empty much like other traditions when... when...reproduction became... scientific, and, er, dancing frowned on. Even if the ceremony was about so much more than just reproduction. But so much more was lost when people despaired.'

'How did they reproduce?' asked Rose.

'No,' said Ten and he pushed himself away from the console. 'Boring story. Honestly! Boring, boring, boring. I _will_ tell you some time, Rose, but we'll be talking here forever about science and history if I tell you now. No. We were talking about what you need.'

'Yes,' agreed Eleven, and they could all see the relief in his face. 'So, Rose, would you like to bond with Ten?

Rose crossed her arms. 'I still don't know exactly what that is. I go into your mind, yeah?'

Ten nodded. 'You set the pace. And when you're in there, it's harder for me to... to... evade. Thoughts would flow naturally between us. No hiding. Mind you, we respect each other's privacy. Any time you really don't want to share something, you just put up a barrier. Like a closed door.'

'But it feels safer to share,' said Eleven.

'Yeah.' Ten nodded rapidly. 'Easier. See, Rose, I've-' he looked at Eleven-'we've been alone for a long, long time. We're the only ones left. We're not used to sharing. I'm sorry. We've had to build defenses. It's who we are. I don't think you'd ever be completely happy with me if... if...'

'We didn't bond,' she finished for him.

'Yeah.'

'So, we can do this whenever we want? It's not just a one time deal? Sharing, I mean.'

'Whenever you want,' he said firmly. 'Though, if we're in the middle of running for our lives, that might not be such a good idea.'

Rose laughed then. 'Silly goof.' She stood up, walked over and put her arms around him. 'All right. Sounds good to me.'

He wrapped his long arms around her. 'You sure?' he whispered.

'Yeah,' she whispered back. 'I do want to marry you. Bonding or not. I'd take you as you are. Warts and all. But... this feels right. You have so much in that head of yours. This way, I'd feel... I'd feel...'

'Included.' He pulled her to him and laid his head on top of hers, cheek to hair.

Eleven cleared his throat behind them. 'Ten, are _you_ sure? You know what will have to happen.'

Rose pulled back and Ten raised his head.

'What do you mean?' Rose frowned.

'It's nothing,' said Ten firmly. 'Just feels odd the first time. That's all. And then it's fine after that.'

'It's more than that,' objected Eleven.

'Doesn't matter,' snapped Ten. 'It's my choice.'

'What is it?' asked Rose. She cupped his cheek in her hand. 'I need to know.'

He covered her hand with his own. 'It's all right. He'll tell you what you need to do. Do everything he says. And I mean everything. All right?'

'Everything?'

'I'll be expecting it all,' he affirmed. 'And, now, traditionally, I hand you over to him. He'll be your... trainer-'

'Advisor,' said Eleven.

'-advisor until the ceremony,' ended Ten. He kissed the top of her head, and then gently pushed her backwards. 'Go with him.'

River jumped up and sidled up to Rose. 'Mind if I come too? This is all new to me too. Mr. Time Lord over here didn't choose to tell me about this part of marriage.'

Rose stared at Eleven. He shrugged. 'We had to do it on the fly. Not much time for going into rituals at great length.'

She turned to River. 'Why not? You're right. We have to stick together around these two.'

'Right!' said Eleven and he started down the stairs at a trot. 'Come along, ladies.'

River followed him but Rose hesitated and looked over her shoulder. 'What're you gonna do?'

Ten swayed back and forth on his feet. 'Ah, well, think I'll patch together some of those burned-out couplings. The Tardis is still not quite back to normal after holding a whole planet together.' He pointed behind him at the console with his thumb.

'Is this a "don't see each other until the ceremony" kind of thing?' she asked.

'Yep.'

'And I do exactly what he says?'

'Yep.' He made shooing motions with his hands. 'You'll be brilliant. Don't you worry.'

Rose ran up to him, hugged him hard and then just as abruptly turned on the spot and ran after Eleven and River.

_To be continued_


	3. Equality and Trust

_Chapter 3 Summary:_ Rose is taken aback when Eleven explains what she will have to do during the bonding ceremony. River offers a few words of advice.

_Disclaimer:_ This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 3:** _Equality and Trust_

Each of them found a comfortable spot in the library. Eleven sat in his favourite reading chair, a chair that he'd had since at least his seventh incarnation, and Rose and River were both curled up on the sofa. A fire crackled in the fireplace and, behind them, the floor to ceiling bookshelves faded into the darkness.

Rose trailed her hand over the leather of the armrest. She loved the library and it always felt both cosy and mysterious to her-a mix of conflicting feelings that the Tardis often presented. Now, however, it felt as if it were a retreat and a refuge. Eleven was fidgeting in his chair.

'A little dark,' she said, 'though the fire's nice.'

'Sorry,' said Eleven. He made no move to increase the lighting.

'I think he's shy,' said River. 'I bet he hasn't had to talk about this before. Certainly not to humans.'

Eleven harrumphed. 'If you must know-no, I haven't. Besides I don't want you to have visual distraction when we're talking about-'

'Mind melds?' offered Rose.

Eleven scowled at her. 'Bonding.'

'Sorry,' she said, contrite. 'Not Spock. Tell me what I have to do. I mean, yeah, I know I go into his mind. But how do I do that?'

'He'll help you,' said Eleven. 'He'll make the initial contact since you've never done this before, and you're not telepathic. But then you'll have to take over.'

'All right...' Rose chewed her lip. 'And then I... what? Walk down corridors? Look for open doors? Like a maze or something?'

'No, no.' Eleven shook his head almost violently. 'No corridors. Well, unless... well, maybe, if you need to. You've seen too many science fiction programmes. You'll just perceive it however you need to. I have no idea how you will. At any rate, the point is...' He took a deep breath and gestured aimlessly.

'Here it comes,' whispered River.

'Time Lords develop mental defenses. They have to. One of the worst things a Time Lord could do to another was to attack them mentally. It was considered one of the worst crimes possible.'

'But I'm not going to attack him,' said Rose. 'Bonding, yeah? It's supposed to be a good thing, right?'

'Yes,' admitted Eleven. 'But even between two Time Lords, it's difficult enough to let someone trained in telepathy past your defenses. Even when this was a practiced ritual in society. Now? With a human whose mind is so different and with no skills-...'

'You mean, we might not be able to...to join?' whispered Rose.

'No... I think you can. It's just... it's just...' Eleven straightened in his chair and crossed his legs. He picked up a book from a small table beside his chair and flipped through the pages carelessly. He threw the book down again. 'It's just that for the past-for a long time, we've-he and I've-only worked on making our defenses as strong as we possibly can. With no-one left from Gallifrey, there has been no-one to share even surface thoughts. To actually let someone in? It's like muscles that haven't been used in a long time. Muscles that only know one function: to keep you out.'

'But you've gone into people's minds before,' objected Rose. 'I've seen you.'

'Gone into, yes,' agreed Eleven. 'And they generally have had no barriers. But having someone going into ours? No. Only once, and you saw this yourself, someone got in through Ten's defences. Remember, during the trial, the telepath who retrieved his memory of destroying the Daleks on the Crucible?'

A cold chill washed over Rose. Ten had been hurt badly by the telepath and couldn't even walk after the ordeal. He had had to be dragged off the courtroom dais. It wasn't until Eleven himself had helped him back in his jail cell that Ten had begun to heal.

'...and someone else once managed to take a peek,' Eleven was saying when Rose once more focused on him, 'when we were still the same, but that was more like...like looking through a window. Not actually getting anywhere past the defences. And you, Rose, are going to have to get past them.'

'But he wants me to,' said Rose. 'Right?'

'He does.' Eleven smiled wistfully then. 'Very much. But centuries of habit and instinct are hard to break. It's going to feel like an invasion. It _is_ an invasion. An intrusion. He's going to fight you.'

'What?' Rose straightened in alarm. River frowned.

Eleven hastily waved his hand in negation. 'No, no, I don't mean he'll attack you. It's just he'll resist and try to keep you out. As much as he wants to let you in, instinct will take over. Think of it like...' He cast about helplessly.

'Have you ever sprained an ankle?' asked River suddenly.

Rose peered at her. 'Um, yeah,' she answered slowly.

'It's like that. After it's been hurting and starting to heal, you don't want to walk on it. Your mind has been trained that walking equals pain. You know full well that you need to exercise the muscles again, that you need to start using it even though it hurts to do so. It's awfully difficult to break through that conditioning and ignore the pain. Like that, but centuries of it.'

Rose nodded slowly. 'Yeah, I can see that.'

So...' Eleven got up and knelt on the floor in front of Rose. He took her hands. 'You will have to be strong. You will have to force your way in. Make him accept you.'

'And how is she supposed to do that?' asked River. She crossed her arms. 'Untrained, non-telepath, against a Time Lord with centuries of honed defences?'

'Because he wants her to. She will be fighting his instincts. Not him. If she were fighting him, you're right, she wouldn't have a hope. But he will be trying to lower his resistance as much as possible to give her every chance at success.' Eleven shook Rose's hands back and forth a little. 'Don't worry-you'll get in. I know you will. It's just that you will have to be a little rough.'

'A little rough?' Rose quailed.

'Er, a lot rough.' Eleven hurried on. 'Remember, he's expecting it, and he wants you to do your best.'

'But I don't know what to expect!' protested Rose. 'Are there all these challenges to get past one by one, or...'

'No, no.' Eleven squeezed her hands and then sat back down in his chair. 'No, it will be simple. Think of it like... like...' he floundered for a moment. 'Like a brick wall. And you're the pick-axe that will bash a hole through it. And that'll be it. Except that there's not going to be a hole in it after you're through. So, that analogy doesn't really work. And you probably won't see a brick wall. Or a pick-axe. Unless you remember this conversation and your mind decides to-'

'Doctor!' shouted River. 'Enough.'

Eleven started and then peered closely at Rose. 'Sorry,' he said shamefacedly. 'Honestly, there's nothing to worry about. You're going to be great, and you're going to make him so happy. I know.'

Rose breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. She looked down and found that her fingers were like claws, clutching at the cushions.

River scrambled to her feet and stood in front of Eleven. 'Time to go tinker with the Tardis, dear. I think you've done enough "training" for the moment. Nothing else in particular she needs to know, right?'

Eleven edged out of his chair. 'Not really. That's it, really. Just a bit of, um, ahh, finessing just before hand, and-'

'Wonderful,' said River. 'Now, run along. We have some girl talk to do here.'

Eleven gave one last uncertain look at Rose and then he quit the library with alacrity. River sighed, shook her head and sat back down on the sofa facing Rose.

'That man...' She shook her head again. 'Sometimes I just want to throttle him.' She put her hand on Rose's knee. 'Don't worry. They know what they're doing.'

'But... Pick-axe?' whispered Rose. 'That sounds painful.'

'Maybe,' admitted River. 'Probably. But you saw him. Ten, I mean. He wants to do this.'

'But... why?' Rose shivered. 'It's awful. And... and this as well as the marriage? It seems so much. He agreed so easily to the wedding. And he brought up the bonding. Him! Why?'

River shrugged. 'It's like I said before. He adores you. But it just never occured to him. Marriage? It really didn't. But now? Now that we've started all this? Now that he knows you really do want it?' She leaned back against the sofa. 'His old life is gone. The Tardis is gone, gone with Eleven. He's free. Free to grow old with you. Something he's always wanted. And... sharing? Bonding? I bet it feels like a relief, to finally have someone he feels that safe with. And someone who feels the same way in return. You've given him permission to have something he's always wanted but never dared to think about.'

'He can spend the rest of his life with me,' said Rose softly.

River sighed. 'He doesn't have to move on.' She lapsed into silence then, and her gaze seemed far away. After a while, she stirred and looked at Rose again. 'As for the bonding... I don't think he's going to mind any pain. After all,' and here she smiled wistfully, 'it will be his Rose doing exactly what he himself has asked for. All for love. What could be a better way to put up with a bit of discomfort than that? Personally? I think this is all incredibly romantic. That Pythia knew what she was on about.'

'Making him suffer?'

River shook her head emphatically. 'No. Not like that. That's just the consequence of our two lonely Time Lords being on their own for centuries. No. Think of the whole purpose of the ritual. Equality. Trust. Acceptance. What you're going to do to him is essentially what he's going to turn around and do to you. Only, physically. Equality. Each person taking turns to be the leader, and to be the passive...'

'Yeah, but it's not going to hurt me,' said Rose. 'Unless there's something about Time Lords I really should know.'

River threw her head back and laughed. 'No. Nothing to worry about there. But traditionally, if it were the first time ever-'

'Yeah,' said Rose. 'Right. But not the case.'

'Didn't think so.' River winked. 'Then you'll be fine. She scooted a little closer to Rose and lowered her voice to a theatrical whisper. 'I'll tell you a little secret that might help you during the ritual... and after, and don't ever, ever let on that I told you this. Ever.'

Rose shifted and resettled herself so she faced River. She clasped her knees to her chest and leaned forward. 'What?' she asked, grinning in response to the wicked gleam in River's eyes.

'If Ten is anything like Eleven... and given they were the same man, and, well, were celibate, so they haven't really had a chance to diverge in preferences...'

Rose raised her eyebrows. 'Preferences?'

'Yes.'

'Uh-huh?'

'Well, Eleven rather likes it when I take control. Not all the time, mind you. But once in a while...it is a favourite of his. And... and... he likes it a little rough.'

'With you in control?' Rose's eyes were so wide, she felt they couldn't be any wider.

'Yep.' River leaned back with a smug grin. 'So, you never know. Take control, Rose. During the bonding-the mental bit. Don't worry about hurting him. I mean, I know you will worry anyways, but... you never know. He might, just possibly, surprise himself and find that he likes it. Vulnerability... with his beloved Rose making him do what is best for him? He might even find it quite erotic, even if habit and instincts fight against him... There might just be a surprise element... He won't expect it, bless him. Nevertheless... Use it. If you get any sense of it from him... use it. Be the confident leader and... and... take him.'

'Wow.' Rose slumped against the sofa back. 'Wow.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

'Right!' Eleven rubbed his hands together and beamed at Rose. 'Time to get this show on the road, eh?'

Rose looked sidelong at River who smirked.

'But just for planning purposes, yeah,' Eleven continued, 'where would you like your wedding?'

Rose blinked. 'Where?' she echoed. She shook her head as if to clear it.

'Yes! Where? Church, mosque, shopping mall? Or, perhaps...' and here he peered quite closely at her, eyes shining and an eager smile. 'Stonehenge,' he whispered, throwing his arms out wide.

'Stonehenge?' Rose just stared. 'Why there?'

'Oh. Ah. Well...' Eleven deflated a little. 'I rather like Stonehenge. Bit of family history there, as it were. And it's a nice circle of stones. Old. I like old.'

''Cause it's strong in time,' said Rose immediately, thinking back to Lindisfarne, and further back, to a church her father once visited.

'Exactly!' Eleven looked pleased. 'So, what would you like? Old church? Old stones?'

'No church.' Rose crossed her arms. 'Churches are for loads of people. Who would come? All my old friends, my relatives-none of them know I'm still alive. And Mum is in the other universe.' She blinked rapidly against a sudden prick of tears.

'You could tell them,' said River gently.

'Nah. I disappeared for 12 months once. They all had a bad enough time with that.'

Eleven shifted on his feet.

'But turn up again after five or six years?' Rose shook her head. 'Besides, I'd only want people who know about you and him. Only they'd understand your Gallifreyan stuff.'

'Hmm.' Eleven paced just a bit. 'Yeah. Probably for the best.'

'Did you ask Ten?' Rose plumped herself down on one of the jump seats and leaned forward.

'I did. He said, "Whatever Rose wants."'

'Oh. All right then.' Rose leaned back and considered. 'What about where we're living. No faffing about trying to set something up.'

'Brilliant! Yes. No faffing about, as you say.' Eleven twiddled a knob or two on the console.

'No dress, flowers?' queried River.

'No,' said Rose quickly. 'He wouldn't care, and... I just don't need that kind of stuff. Not anymore.'

'But do you want it?' persisted River. She sat down on the other jump seat and propped her elbows on her knees. 'Honestly?'

Rose shook her head. 'I don't know. I might've, once. But there's only going to be us there. What's the point? Can you really see me in a frilly dress with Ten in a dinner jacket?'

'I can, actually,' admitted River, a little wistfully. 'But there you are.' She twisted around in her seat and raised her voice. 'All right, darling. Time to take our lovebirds home.'

'Righty-oh!' Eleven dived for a lever, pulled it, and dinged a bell.

The Tardis rumbled and wheezed, and they were off.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

They landed in the same spot in the back garden of the cottage where their journey began.

'Here we are.' Eleven threw back the lever and slapped down a knob. 'Safe and sound.' He paused at the top of the steps between the jump seats and looked down at Rose, a twinkle in his eye. 'And if you go out that door, I just fancy you'll find-that is, if they followed my instructions-a bit of a surprise.'

'A surprise?' Rose jumped up. 'What about?'

'Now, now,' Eleven chided gently. 'If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, now. Would it?'

'All right.' Rise grinned and ran down to the door. Eleven and River followed to the door.

She pulled it open and a swirl of petals blew in. Birdsong filled the Tardis. She stepped outside, crowded from behind by the other two.

'There you are!' cried a familiar voice. Martha stood there, beaming.

'Right on time too.' It was Mickey, grinning broadly. 'Better than last time, eh?'

'Mickey!' Rose rushed into his arms and hugged him hard.

'That's my girl.' Mickey held her in a bear hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. 'Never know when I'm going to see you when you're gadding about with him.'

'Oi!' Eleven clapped a hand on Mickey's shoulder. 'Never going to let me live that down, are you?'

'Not a chance, mate. Neither you nor the other one.'

River snorted in a rather unladylike fashion.

'So!' interrupted Martha. 'Tell us the plan.'

'The plan?' Rose frowned. 'What plan?'

'The wedding, of course! Or, er...' Mickey peered at her and then Eleven. 'That is, if you're doing it. 'Cause, you know, if you're not, we could all just go down to your local and watch footy. If they have telly. I notice you don't.'

'We're not going to the pub,' Martha hissed. But then she too looked at Rose uncertainly. 'Is there going to be a... er...'

'Yeah, there is.' Rose surpressed the urge to giggle. But no sooner than she said that, she whirled around. 'Mickey and Martha?' she demanded of Eleven. 'You didn't tell me you'd gone and invited guests.'

'Surprise,' said Eleven softly.

As Rose hugged Eleven, she could hear River say, sotto voce, 'Did you bring everything?' and Martha just as discreetly answer, 'Yes.'

Rose disengaged herself from Eleven and smiled up at him. But as soon as she was finished, she turned to River. 'What's "everything"?'

River smiled, a demure smile but with eyes dancing. 'Well, I felt that if you're going to get married, you need to do it properly. Gallifreyan tradition is all very well for Ten, but you need something for your culture, too.'

'So we popped back a few weeks,' said Eleven. 'Told them what was happening, asked Martha if she could to the necessary-'

Martha jumped in. 'Which is all done. I have the documents from UNIT that Ten needs to prove his nationailty and residency. You can't get legally married for at least fifteen days, so I've booked an appointment time with a registrar down in the village for tomorrow to give notice of your marriage, and she said it's likely there will be openings for the ceremony itself for a month from now when it's not busy. It's all in place if you want to go through with it.'

Rose blinked. 'Wow.' She looked around at each one of them. 'I-I don't know what to say. You're... you're all... you're doing all of this for us. Just like that.'

'Of course we are,' said Mickey. ''Bout time we got the two of you sorted.' He grinned at Martha, who smiled back.

'Yeah,' she said. 'So, Rose, choose where you want to get married today-for the Doctor's version, that is. We can make your engagement a part of today's ceremony, if you'd like. Blend in a bit of Earth with Time Lord.'

Rose grinned. 'Yeah. Make him commit.'

'Tie him down,' whispered River in her ear. Rose giggled.

'Er, yes. I heard that.' Eleven stroked his chin with one hand and twirled the index finger of the other, finally pointing at Rose. 'I take it you're having today's wedding here, yes?'

'Yeah,' she answered. 'Sure. Or all of it. Why? Do you want it on the Tardis?'

'Ah... no. Not really. But two traditions-why not two places? The talky part and your Earth engagement-whotsit here, and the bonding itself-' and here Eleven paused dramatically- 'at Wayland's Smithy.'

'Wayland's Smithy,' she murmured.

'What's Wayland's Smithy?' demanded Mickey.

'An ancient barrow.' Eleven's eyes gleamed. 'A 5,500-year-old burial mound. Just up the hill.'

'Eww.' Mickey's nose crinkled. 'You want Rose to get married in a tomb? That's creepy, mate.'

'No, it isn't,' said Rose slowly.

'Not _in_ a tomb,' protested Eleven. 'Next to a tomb.'

'Same thing,' said Mickey stubbornly. 'It's-'

'It's strong in time,' said Rose softly. 'And maybe the NAT-the Tessafage-will come out.'

Eleven's gaze was warm. 'The NATS,' he said firmly.

She grinned at him. 'The Tessafage,' she said.

'So you're getting married beside a tomb,' repeated Mickey.

The moment gone, Eleven poked Mickey in the chest. 'Nothing to worry about for the faint of heart. Any remains have long gone. Just very... old... stones.' He grinned, his eyes alight with glee. 'Besides... Prehistoric tomb! How cool is that?'

The others looked at each other. Mickey shook his head. 'Barmy.'

'But why not any stones anywhere?' queried Martha. 'Any exposed rock would do. It's all been around for millions of years.'

'No, it wouldn't,' said Rose. 'People cut these stones. They used them there. They've always been here.'

'Yeah,' said Eleven. 'Made, shaped, assembled in one place for one purpose. Intent and meaning, action and result never changing. Community. Culture. That's what makes it strong.' He shook his head. 'You're right, Martha. Raw rock is strong too, but in a different way.' He peered at her. 'Sorry. It's... complicated.'

Martha nodded. 'I think I get it.'

'Weird,' muttered Mickey. 'But whatever works for you two. Hey-where is he anyway? Ten?'

'Groom can't see the bride before the wedding,' Martha reminded him.

'Right,' he responded. 'So all that guff works for Time Lords too?'

'It does,' said Eleven. 'Which reminds me-I need to take a quick trip. Which means Ten needs to get out of the Tardis.'

'And then Rose and I'll need to get in,' said River who had been wandering around the garden. 'By the way, that pergola would work nicely.'

Rose looked to the corner of the garden where River was pointing. Climbing ivy and jasmine covered the pergola and hawthorn and cherry trees bookended it. The hawthorn was coming into full bloom while the cherry was going over. Petals fluttered lazily to the ground in each gentle puff of a spring breeze.

'Yeah, it would,' she said. 'Unless it rains.'

'Won't rain,' said River. 'Eleven's checked the records. It never rained today. Not here, at any rate.'

'D'you think you could check who wins the match today?' asked Mickey. 'I could put a tenner on the winning team.'

'Mickey!' Martha threw up her hands in disgust.

Eleven merely looked pained and turned to River. 'Why does Rose need to go back into the Tardis?'

'Because,' drawled River, 'I think we might just be able to find something for her to wear in the wardrobe room. Don't get me wrong, Rose-I love your look, but trousers and that little leather jacket for a wedding? No. We'll find something nice. Don't worry. Nothing too fancy. But nice.'

'You have your own wedding planner,' said Martha, grinning, to Rose.

'So you have,' said Eleven. 'But no turning this into a circus. Rose wants something simple. No party favours, no processionals, and above all-' and here he shuddered slightly, '-no corsages, flower girls or boutonnières.'

River patted him on the cheek. 'Not a single one of those things. I promise.'

'Well! That's a relief,' said Eleven. 'Now! I'll toss Ten out. And when we return,' and here he smiled a little wistfully at Rose, 'it'll be your big moment.'

She grinned up at him.

_To be continued_


	4. Consent and Gladly Give

_Chapter 4 Summary:_ With a mix of Gallifreyan and Terran traditions both formal and casual, Rose and Ten's wedding goes ahead, but not without a few surprises for the bride and groom.

_Disclaimer:_ This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 4:** _Consent and Gladly Give_

Rose stood just inside the doors of the Tardis, waiting. River was as good as her word. They had found a simple, cream-coloured, tea-length cotton dress with just a hint of lace for the waist-band. Slim straps went over the shoulders. River fussed around her, teasing a gently curled wisp in front of her ear and adjusting the grips holding a circlet of daisies in place on her hair.

Rose laughed. 'One bit of wind and it'll be messy.'

'Doesn't matter,' said River firmly. 'The first glimpse he has of you will be perfect. And he won't care if your hair is messy after.'

'He won't. Not the Doctor!' said a voice behind her. 'Bless him. He won't mind one tiny bit.'

Rose smiled at the speaker's words. 'No. And when he sees that you're here-that's gonna mean so much to him.'

Eleven cleared his throat and Rose saw him looking past her at the speaker. 'Yeah. You're the surprise.' He stood at the door, holding a rolled-up bundle of cloth in his hand.

'There are surprises all around today, there are,' the speaker responded. 'But it feels good.'

'All right!' said Eleven and he clapped his hands together. 'Ready?'

Rose took a deep breath and suddenly felt as if butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. 'Yeah,' she managed.

'Right!' Eleven rubbed his hands together and leaned towards her as if for a hug. Instead, he stepped back with a jerk and twirled around on the spot to face the doors. 'Big moment. Yes. No mussing her hair. Right. Here we go!' He pulled open the doors and exited.

Rose waited for a moment and stepped out into the garden. Behind them, River followed. They left the doors wide open.

In front of them stood the pergola. And in front of that stood Ten and Eleven. Martha and Mickey were off to the side. Ten wore his blue suit. He gazed at her and his eyes shone.

'My Rose,' he whispered.

Rose only saw him. She walked forward, halfway down the stone path on which the Tardis had neatly landed. 'My Doctor,' she responded.

'Blue suit okay?' he asked her. He scratched the back of his neck. 'It's what I wore when we started our new life together.'

'It's perfect,' said she firmly. 'My Doctor in blue.'

A big grin spread over his face, and with that, she felt the butterflies disappear.

The last person came out of the Tardis and to Rose's side.

Ten started. 'Wilf!'

Wilf held out his arm and Rose linked hers with his.

'Pleasure to be here,' Wilf said, beaming all over. 'My word but it does my heart good to see you again. Or is it the first time? You and your lovely bride. And the other Doctor. Although which of you two Doctors is which still muddles my brain. Where one of you starts and the other stops... it's past me!'

'We both know you, and you know both of us,' said Ten softly. 'When Donna was travelling with us? We were the same.'

'Right you are.' Wilf nodded rapidly. 'But you're letting me steal the show here. I'm going to walk this lovely girl over to you. Though, if I understand aright, you're somehow my grandson in some peculiar fashion. Or great-grandson. Or something. Though how you are... it all beats me. But, by all rights, I should be giving you away to Rose.'

'It beats anyone sane,' said Mickey. 'But just go with it.' He walked up to Rose and handed her a small bunch of blue and pink flowers. 'I reckon the garden won't miss these.'

'Thanks, Mickey.' She smiled at him and he returned to his spot by the pergola. 'Let's do this.'

'Not quite yet,' said Eleven. 'There's one more guest.'

And right on cue, a head popped around the edge of the door of the Tardis. 'Can't start the party without me!'

Captain Jack Harkness stepped out of the Tardis with a flourish and a swirl of his great coat.

'Jack!' Rose laughed in sheer delight. 'How... when? I know we picked up Wilf, but-'

'I've been on board since you were sleeping. There's plenty of the Tardis to get lost in and explore while waiting.'

Rose ran up to him and hugged him hard. He returned the hug but then held her out at arm's length. 'None of that, Rose. Any more and I'll be tempted. Not that that's ever stopped me in the past, but the Doctor'll have my hide if I don't behave. Both of them.'

And so Wilf and Rose walked up the rest of the path and Jack and River followed behind. And when they reached the front of the pergola, Wilf put Rose's hand in Ten's and stepped back.

'Hi,' whispered Rose.

'Hi,' Ten whispered back. He squeezed her hand gently.

Rose watched as Eleven unrolled the piece of cloth in his hands and hung it around his neck. It was rather like a priest's stole, but it was made of a dark blue material. On it were embroidered Gallifreyan symbols in silver and gold, along with stars and galaxies picked out in oranges, reds, lighter blues and indigo.

Eleven spoke. 'On Gallifrey, weddings can take a long time. But the most important part is very short. Shorter than what is expected on Earth. So, without further ado... Who will stand in for the parents of Ten?'

'I will,' said Wilf promptly. 'He's family to me-the family Donna ought to know she has. But if you'll accept me as your granddad?'

Ten nodded rapidly. He beamed. 'I'd be honoured.'

'And the parents for Rose?'

'I'll do it,' said Mickey. 'If you don't mind, Rosie. After all, I knew your mum... and Pete. And... well, former boyfriend and all that. Handing you over to the next bloke.'

'Sure,' said Rose. 'Why not?' She grinned at him.

Eleven cleared his throat. 'Wilf, please say, "I consent and gladly give the Doctor, Ten, to Rose."'

Wilf nodded rapidly. 'With pleasure. I consent and gladly give the Doctor, Ten, that is, to Rose.'

Eleven turned to Mickey. 'And, Mickey, you too. "I consent and gladly give Rose to the Doctor, Ten."'

'Yeah,' said Mickey. 'I consent and gladly give Rose to the Doctor.'

'"Ten",' nudged Eleven.

'Oh. Right. Sorry, mate. Ten.' Mickey shuffled slightly and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

'Right. Jolly good.' Eleven turned back to Rose and Ten. 'On Gallifrey, the couple would normally have a series of speeches about different aspects of commitment. Thankfully, they're traditional but not required. Rose, is there anything you'd like to say to Ten?'

Rose shook her head to clear it and she heard chuckles from the others. 'Um,' she managed at last. She shifted on her feet. 'I don't have any speech. Sorry.'

Ten grinned and shrugged. 'Neither do I. Just say something like how you'll have to train me to be an acceptable human and husband.'

She laughed then. 'I love you. All the adventuring, the running, your gob, everything. Even your secrets. I'll take it all to be with you, you wacky alien.' She shrugged then. 'Don't have anything fancy to say. I just feel it.'

But Ten's smile was warm. 'You don't need to,' he whispered.

Eleven smiled and nodded. Then he said, 'And Ten?'

Ten shifted on his feet. 'Don't have a speech either. Don't need speeches. Not with my gob. But... I suppose none of you want me rambling. But... Rose, I will say this. After the Ti... er... some time ago, I thought I could never love again. And I don't mean romantically. I mean any kind of love for any being, for any idea, for any kind of existence. But you brought love back into my life. Love! You helped me love again-to love you, romantically, to love humans as the wonderful bumbling beings they are, to love the universe in its infinite mystery and beauty. You brought all this back for me-just you. You being you. Innocent, adventurous, warm-hearted, caring. Wanting to help anyone who needed it. And you helped me. And I needed it.

'I might never let go of the instinct to hide some things I've done or seen. Most likely, you'll need to push me. I'm sorry. Habits of a century die hard. But please know this-I will never hide what I feel in my heart. That is all yours and always will be. I'm yours, Rose Tyler. All yours.'

Rose nodded and blinked back tears. She couldn't say anything, but she pulled her hand out from between his and held his between both of her own. The flowers Mickey had given her fell and scattered between and over their feet like a colourful mantle.

'And I'm all yours,' she whispered.

Martha cleared her throat. 'Sorry,' she said. 'Getting a bit choked up here.'

'So am I,' said Mickey. 'Too much lovey stuff.'

The others laughed.

'Yeah,' said Rose. She clung to Ten's hand and gazed up into his eyes. He smiled softly, and his eyes twinkled back at her. She clung a little tighter, and his fingers gently caressed hers.

'And so,' Eleven continued hastily, 'we'd better get on to the vows. With a little Terran twist. Ten, you are marrying Rose today in our tradition. Do you also consent to marry this human in her tradition, in a ceremony which legally binds you to her in the United Kingdom, of the planet Earth, in one month's time, or thereabouts?'

'I do,' said Ten softly.

'And, Rose, do you accept this Gallifreyan as your betrothed, to wed him legally in a tradition of your culture in one month's time?'

'I do,' she answered. She squeezed Ten's hand again. He squeezed back.

'The rings, please,' said Eleven.

'The rings?' asked Ten.

Rose looked around her with alarm. 'I forgot ab-'

Jack stepped forward. 'Here they are.' He fished them out of his jacket pocket and laid them in Eleven's outstretched hand.

'What... how?' Rose stared at him.

Eleven shrugged. 'The Tardis has both of your scans on file. Sizing was easy. The gold... I had something on board I could melt down.'

Ten picked up the smaller of the two plain bands. 'Gallifreyan,' he murmured.

Rose picked up the larger and she saw tiny, familiar but indecipherable circular writing engraved along the inside of the circle. Inscribed next to it in English were the words, _Rose and the Doctor - 10_. She looked up. 'The Gallifreyan letters say the same thing, yeah?'

'Mostly,' Ten told her. 'And a little more, which I will explain later.' His gaze met Eleven's. 'Thanks,' he murmured.

Eleven nodded just once. 'Doctor, known as Ten, do you take Rose Marion Tyler as your wife?'

'Absolutely!' said Ten. 'Wholeheartedly. Yep!' He bounced on his toes.

Rose smirked. She raised her left hand and held it in front of Ten.

'Ah! Right!' he said and very carefully glided the ring onto her third finger.

Warm from Ten's hands, the ring fit perfectly on her finger. The gentle clasp of its presence felt comforting.

Eleven turned to her. 'And, Rose Marion Tyler, do you take the Doctor, known as Ten, as your husband?'

'I do,' she said. 'Even if he's a goof.'

'Oi!' cried Ten, but he was grinning as Rose slid his ring onto his finger.

'You're both goofs,' said Mickey from behind them. He chuckled.

'Amen to that,' added River.

'Is this meant to be part of human ceremonies,' asked Eleven with a slightly aggrieved air. 'Insulting the couple?'

'It is now,' said River. 'And you're a goof too.' She tweaked his bow-tie.

'And...' said Eleven loudly, 'if you're all quite finished, then we need to do the most important part of the ceremony.'

Eleven turned to Wilf who dug into his pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. Eleven took the cloth and drew it out to full length between his hands, and Rose could see that it was actually a silk scarf with an intricate design.

'That's Donna's,' said Wilf. 'Even though she can't be here, that's hers. She would've wanted to be here, she would. But she bought that when she went to Egypt. Her first adventure after she met you, Doctor. She loves that scarf. She doesn't know why, bless her, but I know.'

Rose looked at Ten. He swallowed and nodded rapidly. She suspected that his eyes were a little moister than usual.

'Hold out your hands,' instructed Eleven.

Rose squeezed Ten's hand and they obediently held their clasped hands up in front of Eleven. He smiled briefly and then murmured, 'Apart.'

They obeyed, and he then gave each of them an end of Donna's scarf. 'By each taking one end and winding it around your hand, you declare that you wish to bind yourselves to your partner forever. You will meet each other as equals and honour and cherish the other as yourself.'

Rose and Ten did as Eleven bid them, and they carefully and slowly wound the scarf around their own hand. Rose noticed that Ten held the scarf close to the middle and then wound his end around with his free hand so that the scarf did not become twisted. She did the same and soon their hands were wrapped and touching in the middle. Gently, Eleven laid his own hand on theirs for a brief moment and then removed it.

'Each of you has bound yourself to the other,' he said. 'This is your declaration to each other and to all present, from this point forth in your timestreams for all Time. It is done.'

Rose and Ten faced each other.

'And now I can tell you my name,' said Ten very softly. He leaned forward and whispered in Rose's ear.

Amidst the gentle tickle of his warm breath on her ear, Rose heard the syllables of his name. There were not many, but the sounds, both musical and harsh, flowed so that she knew she would not be able to reproduce them herself. But amidst those sounds came the feeling of infinite mystery and purpose, ancient wisdom and curiosity leavened by a sharp edge of danger that made her own breath hitch. Nevertheless, at the heart of it all, there was love of all things alive and the desire to seek and heal.

And then she realized it. The name was not only a collection of sounds but also a collection of feelings: it was a blend that could only carry the full meaning in its whole. Sound only would represent the name, but it would not carry the heart of it. She shivered at the power behind it and she realized why he could not say it aloud. Burying that thought, she nodded.

They pulled apart. Rose reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek. 'That's beautiful,' she breathed. 'But I don't think I can remember each letter.'

He chuckled. 'That's all right. It's not for saying aloud. But when we bond, you will know it and you can whisper it to me. And... that will be nice. Very nice. Awfully nice.'

Eleven reached forward and unwound the scarf from around their hands. He folded it reverently and placed it in Wilf's hands. 'Thank you,' he murmured.

Wilf nodded, his own eyes rather damp, and he pocketed it.

Eleven raised his voice just a little. 'And now, by traditional Gallifreyan law, I now pronounce them wife and husband.'

He turned them around and the other five burst into applause. Ten put his arm around Rose and she leaned against him. It felt to her as if her smile was stretching from ear to ear. A feeling of joy bubbled up inside her and she felt giddy. She giggled.

'Aren't you supposed to kiss?' demanded Jack with a slightly aggrieved tone. 'I thought Earth humans always kissed.'

'Now, now,' chided River. 'Not all Earth customs are the same. Cultures vary from place to place.'

'It depends on them,' said Martha. 'Traditionally, in an English church, no. But nowadays, it's changed. It's up to them. Many do. Maybe most. What about it, Ten? What did they do on Gallifrey? Should Eleven say, 'You may kiss the bride?''

'Never on Gallifrey,' said Ten. 'But here? It's up to Rose.'

'Rose?' asked Martha.

'Yeah,' said Rose. 'Tell him.'

'Ten,' said Eleven. 'You may kiss your bride.'

Ten gazed at Rose for a moment, and she held her breath. Then, very slowly, he leaned in, carefully tilted his head slightly as if measuring the exact safe distance to the millimetre to avoid bumping noses, and then touched his lips to hers. They were soft and warm, gentle and hesitant. But Rose felt a shiver of delight run through her and she shot up a hand, cradling the back of his head, and pressed him to her.

'Mm!' hummed Ten.

'M-mm!' answered Rose. Vaguely, she realized that everyone around them was clapping, but it didn't seem important. Warmth, touching and Ten dominated, and she closed her eyes. She wrapped her free arm around his waist, and in response, she felt him wind his arms around her. 'Mmm,' she murmured again. She wriggled slightly against him in delight.

The seemingly-distant sound of clapping had changed to laughter.

'Break it up, you two!' That was Mickey's voice.

'Not yet.' The immediate response was Jack's.

'Don't rush them,' added River.

But the moment was over. Rose and Ten parted, and she could see his eyes were shining, just as she imagined her own must be.

'Wow,' breathed Ten. 'I kissed you. I. Kissed. You. Well, I've kissed you before, but on your hand and your forehead. That was nice. Awfully nice. And you've kissed me. On my lips. Also nice. Brilliant, in fact. But now I've kissed you on your mouth. Very nice mouth. I mean, I've always thought so, but now I've kissed you. Me. You.'

'About time,' said Rose. 'And don't ever stop.'

'Remember that, Ten,' said River. 'You two are married now. Your solemn duty is to make sure that girl is thoroughly kissed from now on.'

'Molto bene,' said Ten happily.

'Congratulations,' said Wilf. 'Oh my, but it does my heart good to see this. You two belong together. Bless you both.'

'It's not finished yet,' admonished Eleven, though his voice was filled with fondness. 'Now!' He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. 'It's time for the Bonding. Everyone into the Tardis. Except for Rose and Ten. You two walk up to Wayland's Smithy. We'll meet you up there.'

_To be continued_


	5. Bonding

_Author's_ Notes: And here it is, finished. For those of you who were not put off by the two names and parts to this story and kept reading to the end, thank you! And if you find this story offers you a tale that you respond to in some way (positive or negative!), I would love to know how it did so. I've never asked this before, as I strongly feel reviews happen only when freely given. But now in the age when "following" buttons and the like replace reviews, I find that the interaction between writer and reader is being lost (although I acknowledge and thank those who do give that kind of feedback as well!). So, dear reader, only ever review if you want to (of course!), but do know that I cherish hearing your thoughts and feedback about what you just read. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

_Disclaimer:_ This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 5:** _Bonding_

Neither Rose nor Ten said a word as they walked from the cottage, up the hill along the path to the Ridgeway. They held hands all the way and occasionally would look at each other, Ten looking down at her with a grin and she looking up with a brilliant smile. Occasionally they bumped each other's shoulders or squeezed hands. No words might have been said through all of this, but they were conversing nonetheless in their own way. Rose could still feel that joy bubbling just under the surface.

The birds seemed to feel it too, for they chattered, sang and trilled madly in the bushes and trees. The sun was a little lower in the early evening and the light was golden all around.

When they reached the Ridgeway, they found the Tardis parked at the meeting of the two paths, effectively blocking the way to Wayland's Smithy. A note had been pinned to the front. The words, 'Path and heritage site closed,' were written on it in Martha's hand.

They squeezed between the Tardis and the bushes and kept walking. They came to the kissing gate at the head of the path to the barrow and Rose went through first. Even though there was plenty of room for both of them to go through at the same time, she let the gate swing back closed against Ten. He raised his eyebrows, but she leaned over the gate and rested her elbows on the top rail, tilting her head up slightly.

'Ah!' he murmured, and he stole a kiss which she happily gave. Giggling, Rose let go of the gate and moved through. Ten moved into the middle and this time she leaned over the railing and pressed her lips to his.

Their giggles lasted half way up the path to the stand of beech trees that surrounded the barrow. They quieted as they approached the gap in the trees. Ten clasped Rose's hand tightly and she looked up at him. His face was solemn but his eyes shining. She returned the clasp, tightening her fingers, and together, they walked through.

Eleven, River, Wilf, Martha, Mickey and Jack all stood at the front of the tomb, by the massive upright stones that guarded the entrance. The golden light of the evening sun shone through the beech trees, dappling all that lay within. The birdsong that filled the air was softer, muted.

Rose and Ten walked up to the group. Rose noticed that Eleven still wore his stole. He fiddled with it, his fingers moving jerkily. She realized with a rush of fondness that he was nervous. But even as she smiled encouragingly at him, she could feel her own stomach begin to twist itself into knots. She clung to Ten's hand.

'And now,' said Eleven, 'if you will follow me?'

Rose and Ten followed him, with the others trailing after. They walked past the front of the barrow and around the corner. The length of the barrow lay before them, stretching all the way down the grove. Although small stones stood at the bottom of the grassy slope all around the edges of the barrow, there were areas with gaps. At one of these near the far end of the barrow lay a nest of blankets and pillows.

Eleven drew Rose aside and she reluctantly let go of Ten's hand. Ten gave her a quick smile, caressed her cheek, and continued with the others down to the end of the barrow. River hung back and followed Eleven and Rose.

Eleven rubbed his hands together with a jerky flourish. 'Now, remember, Rose, you're the leader. Force him to accept you. Remember that. Even if... even if...' He coughed. 'It hurts...'

'We've covered this, dear,' said River. 'Rose knows what to do.'

'Yes, right! Of course,' spluttered Eleven.

River raised her eyebrows. 'Poor darling... Why, I do believe you're nervous for him.' She patted Eleven on the cheek. 'Don't you worry. It'll soon be over.'

'I hope so,' said Rose. She wrapped her arms around herself and paced about.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

'So, er, why do you have to lie down?' asked Mickey. He looked down at the blankets and pillows.

Ten pushed himself away from the tree he had been leaning against. He shrugged. His hands were firmly jammed in his pockets. 'Well, bonding is a bit of a new experience. Not really much aware of anything around one. Wouldn't do for the groom to get muddled, trip and hit his head on something. Not terribly dignified.'

Mickey chortled. 'Yeah. Can see you doing that, mate.'

'They're coming back,' said Martha.

'Your last moments as a semi-free man,' said Jack. 'You lucky bastard.'

'Yeah,' said Ten. He swallowed. Wilf patted him comfortingly on the arm. Ten watched Rose as she walked towards him. 'Yeah,' he said softly. 'About time.' He saw her hands wringing together and so, when she came up to him, he took them in his own and he kissed them. He put his mouth to her ear and whispered. 'You all right?'

Rose nodded fitfully. 'I think so.'

'Then let's do it. Be brilliant, my Rose.' He kissed her temple and then stepped back. Within seconds, he was lying on the blankets, his back propped up against the slope of the barrow side.

Rose knelt beside him and the others knelt too, in a semi-circle a couple of feet away from the edges of the blankets. She looked down at Ten who was patiently waiting for her and then she looked up at Eleven. 'Do I... start? Do you have to say anything?'

'Oh.' Eleven appeared flustered. 'Not really, though I'm sure there were ceremonial speeches back then. Ahh...' He looked around at the others and then back to Rose. 'Rose Tyler, Doctor... Over the next while, you will discover each other and accept each other equally. Um... er... make it good.'

The others laughed and even Rose smiled tremulously. She looked back down at Ten. He too had laughed, but now he was gazing at her again.

'Ready?' he whispered.

'Not really,' she whispered back. 'But let's give it a go.'

In response, he reached up and placed his fingertips against her temples. 'Relax,' he murmured.

She tried to, managing just a bit, and she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she felt a whisper in her mind.

_Can you hear me? _His voice was soft and gentle.

_Yes,_ she responded. _That was easy. _'I'm connected... or whatever,' Rose said out loud to Eleven.

'Right!' he responded. 'Now it's your turn. Good luck.'

_Now for the next step,_ Ten thought to her_. Touch your fingers to my temples._

She opened one eye cautiously and shuffled a little closer. Her knee bumped against the side of his ribs. She felt a very Ten-ish chuckle in her mind. She opened both eyes then and looked at him for a moment. He hadn't closed his eyes during the contact and he was still gazing at her. The sunlight, dappled across his face, highlighted the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes-the laugh lines that she loved so much. Little touches of sun also reached his eyes, so open and trusting, and turned the warm brown into amber. She reached down and caressed his forehead, running her fingers through his spiky fringe. Finally, she pressed her fingertips against his temples. Once she had made contact, he lowered his own hands and laid them over her own, increasing the contact. She closed her eyes again.

_That's it, _he thought at her. _Now, in you go. Push your way in. My mind is your mind. Mi casa es tu casa._

_Oh, shut up,_ she thought back and she shivered. _Where do I go? Everything is dark in here._

_Just in. Just concentrate on getting in._

Perplexed, she did just that. _I want in,_ she thought. She thought of pushing, and to her surprise, she immediately felt the sensation of something pushing back. _Was that you?_

_Yeah. Sorry about that. Really not used to this. Just keep going. Don't take no for an answer._

_All right._ She took a deep breath and pushed again. This time she realized that it felt more like some kind of invisible barrier that refused to yield-not really the presence of something physical but the feeling of simple and strong resistance. _I want in_, she thought again. She pushed harder. _I'm Rose. Let me in._

The barrier was impervious. Almost annoyed, Rose remembered Eleven's words back in the library. She remembered the brick wall and the pick-axe. She shuddered. _No_, she thought. _None of that! _Instead, she found herself focusing, gathering all her thought, as if aiming for one spot. She rammed into the resistance.

Something gave a little. Emboldened, she rammed again, even harder. And underneath her fingertips, she felt the jerk of Ten's head. She opened her eyes, and as she did so, the last sounds of a gasp fell upon her ears. Ten's eyes were closed tightly and his mouth was very slightly open. She looked up. The others were staring back at her, wide-eyed.

'Don't stop,' said Eleven urgently. 'Whatever you just did, keep doing it. You've hit on the right approach. Don't let up. You're the leader, remember?'

'Remember what I said?' River winked, though her expression was serious. 'Let him know you're the boss.'

Rose swallowed. 'Leader. Boss. Right.' She closed her eyes again. _I'm back,_ she thought. _And you will let me in, you hear?_

There was no response. Gently, she nudged the barrier. _Doctor?_ She nudged it again. _Doctor?_

Still no response. She opened her eyes. 'I can't hear him.' She looked down at his face, but his eyes were still tightly closed.

'Doesn't matter,' said Eleven quickly. 'He's concentrating on trying to let you in. Don't talk. Just do.'

Rose nodded and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on gathering her strength together and then she rammed against the barrier. She felt another jerk under her fingers. This time she didn't stop. Again and again she threw her thought against the barrier, and each time she felt more give. Ten's hands were clinging hard to hers.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. It felt slightly damp and she realized that he was actually sweating. She hadn't seen him sweat before; hadn't except once-just once, when he was dying on Pete's World a year ago. She winced. She was hurting him, and there wasn't even River's words of advice to help. She couldn't feel any of his thoughts. Not now.

She tried again, but even as she did it she knew her attempt was half-hearted. She opened her eyes again and tried once more. This time she saw him flinch.

She sat back on her heels. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt him. It felt wrong. She tried to pull her hands away from his face, but he clung too tightly. He wouldn't let her.

She saw the others watching her silently, all patient, all concerned, but waiting for her, for she was the leader. She looked back down at Ten. He lay quietly. His face was tense, but he lay still, prepared for her to continue.

His words came back to her. _I'll be expecting it all... _and _You'll be brilliant. Don't you worry_.

A cold chill went through her. She remembered the syllables and feelings in his name-the beautiful, melodic but powerful and unsettling name he whispered to her. His life was spent in great knowledge, decisions and Time. Difficult and sometimes incomprehensible, alien decisions were a part of him, and this among other things was something she must embrace if she were to honestly be his partner in life. The only way she could truly join him and honour that part of him was to accept the permission he had given her to do what she must do now. To accept it and embrace it was the only way to move forward into what she wanted so badly-to share with him truly, on deeper, foreign levels that might be scary, but were intrinsic to his way of being. Even without the Tardis, part human, and fettered and imprisoned on Earth by the Shadow Proclamation, he was this being and he would never change. Not in that way. The question was, could she meet him part way and make the hard decisions?

A calm came over her. Yes, she could. She could take the responsibility and she could also embrace it, for it was the right thing to do at the right time. She would not hold back. Ten needed her. It was time to finish this.

She didn't close her eyes this time. 'And now,' she murmured and gathered all her strength, love and intent. She imagined winding it all together into a single, shining thought around her. She felt powerful, and she felt in control. She caressed Ten's temples with her fingertips and then pressed hard. She threw herself against the weakened barrier.

_Almost!_, she murmured to him in her mind as he shuddered beneath her hands. _That's it! Almost there, my love._ And she threw herself against that invisible resistance again and again. There was not a thought in her mind that she, now, could not get in.

She gently caressed his cheeks with her thumbs even while she still kept an almost bruising pressure against his temples with her finger tips._You can do it. Let go, my love._

And he did just that. With a sudden give and rush, she plunged through. All around her was Ten, his warmth and welcoming and love flowing through her. Feelings of thrilling pleasure, euphoria, exultation and rapidly receding pain overwhelmed her.

_You're in. Oh, my beautiful Rose. You're in!_

_I'm in_! she thought, dazed.

_I knew you could do it_. A wave of reverence washed over her. _Oh, my Rose!_

She shivered in delight. The strength of fulfillment, pleasure and excitement continued to billow all around her. Behind it, it felt to Rose as if there were layers of experience, memories, thought and simply being. There were caverns, of joy, caring, curiosity and empathy. There was a sense of great history and knowledge. And underneath, in dark depths that made her shiver, there was anger, fear, self-hatred and regret-and terrible things done and seen. It was too vast for her to take in, but she knew that should she choose to, she could explore bit by bit, although it would take an age beyond her own pitiful lifespan. The vast reaches of the cavern seemed to reach back infinitely.

_Wow. It's big in here._

A startled sense of amusement from him filled her mind. _Is that how you see it?_

_Yeah. A little overwhelming. _Vaguely, she could feel the lingering physical sense of his hands crushing hers. The external pain made her wince.

Ten's hands relaxed around hers. _I'm sorry. Really not used to this._

The depths and caverns receded. Rose could still sense them, but they became the background, and the joy and euphoria coloured all her thought. She felt herself respond.

_That's better. Are... are you all right?_

He pulsed a feeling of happiness at her. _Oh, yeah! Couldn't be better!_

She could feel herself grinning and shaking her head. She wondered if he could sense that. _How do you see me? Or... um, feel me?_

She could feel him considering this, his emotions swirling a little. Then an image of a bright glowing ball of light pulsing with warmth, curiosity, forgiveness and infinite generosity came to her.

_Soon, we'll just use images and feelings for communication as you get used to this. But words will do for now._

_Right,_ she thought. _Should I tell them I'm in? Talking won't break anything, yeah?_

_No. It won't. We're bonded now. You're "in" now. Forever._

A giddy rush of gladness mixed with a little frisson of the unknown came over her. _Yeah._

Rose opened her eyes to find six pairs of eyes staring at her and Ten.

'I'm in,' she said. 'We're bonded.'

'Yeah,' said Mickey. 'We could tell.'

'Um... How could you?' Rose asked. She looked around at the others, who were all either suppressing smiles or grinning broadly, depending on their character. Jack was almost hugging himself with glee.

'He's a bit of a screamer, your Doctor,' said River with a smirk. 'Very cute.'

'Time for us to leave,' said Eleven hastily.

'Do we have to?' whined Jack.

Eleven waggled his finger at him. 'Behave.' He turned to the others. 'Take your posts, everyone.'

'Posts?' asked Rose.

'Wouldn't want some hiker walking in on you for the next part. We'll be out of earshot, but heading anyone off.'

'Or aliens,' said Wilf.

'Next part? Oh! Right!' Rose felt a pleasurable tingle spread through her, and an answering shiver from Ten in her mind.

'Good luck, you two,' said River. 'Have fun. Stay up here for the night, or come back down when you're done.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The others had scattered to their respective locations and Ten and Rose were alone. Rose still held her fingers to Ten's temples, but he very gently took her hands in his own and brought them down.

'We can touch anywhere now,' he said. 'Temples are more direct, but...'

He was correct. Rose still felt surrounded by his mind, although the clarity and immediacy of being engulfed by the vast caverns softened further and receded. Now it felt rather like being wrapped in a warm, caring, curious, infinitely intelligent but goofy and Ten-ish blanket.

'So, if...' began Rose.

'Wait,' interrupted Ten urgently.

'What?' But even as Rose asked, she began to feel it. The sensation was strange, and she would not have been able to put it into words, but the best she would have managed would be to describe it as little pinpoints of curiosity, expectation and childish eagerness, and something else she couldn't quite fathom-something vast and strange.

'Here they come,' murmured Ten. 'Now the others have gone.'

One by one, the NATS began to appear, their nimbus of light growing as their numbers increased.

The odd feeling increased. Full of a meaning and power of a kind she couldn't understand, it constantly shifted. It was utterly alien. She shivered and hunched her shoulders.

'What is that?' she asked out loud.

A brush of curiosity came from Ten. On its heels came a note of query, followed by an echo of the alien feeling.

_Yes_, she responded. _That's it._

_Time_, he thought to her.

'Time,' she whispered out loud. 'So, that's what it feels like.' She paused for a moment. 'Why don't you feel like that? You're a Time Lord, yeah?'

An immediate sensation of shamefacedness came to her and an admission of guilt.

'Why guilty?'

Ten spoke aloud. 'I thought it would be too much for you. I've been hiding that part of me. Waiting until you're used to the bond.'

Rose felt a small flash of irritation, but the alien time sense was growing rapidly and she felt it was going to engulf her. The irritation vanished. 'You're right. Not yet. I'm not ready. I'm sorry.'

The next instant, she could feel a communication between Ten and the NATS. There were no recognizable thoughts or emotions, but something was exchanged. Then the NATS winked out. The sense of time disappeared. Rose sighed, her shoulders slumping.

'But why were they here? I'm here.'

_You've bonded with me. They recognized that. They'll come again when you're ready. When we call. You're not only human now. You're part Gallifreyan, sort of, in their eyes. Er, not eyes. Don't have eyes. Senses. And you were touching me. In my mind. They know you now. You're part of..._

Rose laughed, and she knew that Ten could feel a bit of her self-deprecation. 'Part of the Secret Time Lord Society.'

Amusement and a dash of ruefulness answered her.

Rose responded with a little push of love. But a new thought occurred to her. _So, um, if I feel like I'm in your mind, do you feel like you're in mine?_

He looked at her for a moment. _No_, he said at last. _You're in my mind. I'm not in yours. But I can feel it. I can feel your emotions._

_Why not?_ she asked, though she suspected she knew the answer. _You wouldn't fit inside my tiny, ape-like mind?_ She grinned and stuck the tip of her tongue out to soften the comment.

He looked at her quickly, and Rose could feel a corresponding tinge of anxiety brush inside her mind. _Um... yeah. Something like that. Not exactly, as physical measurements don't apply, but... um... yeah._

Rose thought of the caverns, the overwhelming vastness and depths. _That makes sense_, she said softly. And then she leaned down and brushed her lips against his.

The response was immediate. The anxiety she felt from him disappeared quickly and a barrage of feelings rushed in: a quick surprise at her choice of action, then gratitude, wonder, and excitement. Quickly following those came a new wash of surprise at the excitement, and Rose grinned. As soon as she felt her own amusement, an answering tinge of recognition coloured with very slight indignation followed, only to be altered by a further gratitude, suspense, and curiosity.

Rose sat back, breaking contact. All the visiting thoughts and emotions immediately fell away. The birdsong around them rushed in, sunlight wavered through the canopy overhead, and there was Ten, still lying against the barrow.

'Wow,' she said, panting slightly.

'Wow,' he said, smiling up at her although there was a slight uncertainty in his gaze. 'A bit much?'

'Yeah. But... I like it. You have a lot of emotions. I never knew.'

'So do you,' he said, his voice soft.

'Yeah, but you hide them,' she pointed out.

'Not anymore. Not from you. Ever.'

'Ever,' she whispered. A shiver of pleasure and anticipation ran through her. 'Ohh, this is gonna make things interesting.'

'For sex?' he asked, his eyes alight with excitement. 'Coupling? Pleasure? "Getting it on"?'

'Making love,' she answered. 'You goof. But... yeah. Really interesting.'

She reached forward to touch him again, but he immediately put up his hands, warding her off.

'Before you... um. You're going to, ah, have to take the, er, lead. New body. And, um, it's been a while.'

'How long a while?'

He fidgeted. Even though they were not touching, Rose could imagine the barrage of thoughts and feelings in his mind.

'Centuries. And... um... never with a human. Not so... er, carnal. Not so... immediate. Not without rituals.'

Rose stared at him. 'I thought rituals were for backward humans.'

Ten shook his head rapidly. 'Oh, no! Time Lords can out-ritual humans. All that stuffy... Well, yeah. Just... different. For different occasions. And, well, it's all different. And not so exciting. I think. Not as exciting as kissing you. Kissing you. Kissing Rose. Very exciting. Marvellous!'

'You know,' Rose interrupted. 'I was wrong. You do show your emotions. Rambling with your gob. Just as rapid-fire. I just thought you were, um, throwing out words. But you're not, are you. All that blather just then-strong feelings behind them, yeah?'

He looked at her then, and the emotions were as plain as anything: joy, gratitude at her understanding, wonder at her ability to vocalize her recognition of his habits, and a building excitement.

'I'm not even touching you,' she said, 'but I think I can read you b-'

'Yes, you can,' he whispered fervently. 'My brilliant Rose. We should have bonded ages ago. I've been so thick.'

'Yeah,' she said, but she chuckled softly and ran her fingertip lightly down the narrow, arching bridge of his nose. 'You're my lovable, thick goof.' She brushed her finger across his lips. 'And now, no more talking. I have things to teach you.'

'Oh, yeah!' he murmured.

And the last thing she heard out loud as she once more bent over him was a happy, excited whisper: 'Allons-y!'

_The End_


End file.
